Seattle police say some dash cams were working in fatal officer-involved shooting

The Seattle Police Department now says half of the dashboard cameras were active and on during a fatal police shooting last February, but none of them captured the events that led up to Jack Keewatinawin's death. (King County Corrections image)

The Seattle Police Department now says half of the dashboard cameras were active and on during a fatal police shooting last February, but none of them captured the events.

SPD had said eight officers responded to the potential hostage situation near Carkeek Park and none of their cars’ cameras were turned on. It now says 11 officers in 10 cruisers rushed to the call, and five of them had their dash cams activated and turned on. The other five did not.

The reasons they say they didn’t get the footage remain the same. They say some officers didn’t know how to use the cameras, others didn’t turn them on because they didn’t have time, and some didn’t turn on their lights, which activate the cameras, because of the nature of the call.

Several officers shot and killed 21-year-old Jack Keewatinawin when he threatened an officer with an 18-inch piece of rebar.

The department’s Firearms Review Board found the shooting justified. Police said the man brandished the 18-inch piece of rebar as he approached an officer who had fallen down.

The Seattle Police Department is currently upgrading its dash-cam system.